Young girls today have lots of information about sex, but it has been revealed that they do not know enough about an ever-important topic, their breasts.
A research conducted with 3,000 girls brought the following results:
More than 30% of girls considered a normal change in their breasts cancer.
More than 20% believed that breast cancer can be caused by infection, sunbathing, stress, drug abuse, breast injuries - most of which is a myth.
Myths
One of these breast cancer myths is that a bra with underwires can cause cancer. Non-experts spread the urban legend of underwired bras pressing the lymph circulation of the breasts, causing breast cancer. It is, however, a fact that neither the type nor the tightness of the bra or any other piece of clothing has anything to do with developing breast cancer.
Another myth is that a lump in the breast is cancer in most cases. Nearly 80% of lumps in a female breast are caused by non-threatening elements, such as cysts, and not by cancer. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended to visit an expert in any case, since even the malignant tumours can be successfully treated if discovered early enough.
No girls, caffeine doesn’t cause cancer either. Neither do deodorants, despite the parabens which are sometimes used as preservative, and a study showed a slight chance of parabens causing cancer. This wasn’t a cause-effect relation research, however, so you shouldn’t draw long-term consequences.
Girls with smaller breasts have to worry just the same as girls with larger sizes, the cancer threat does not depend on size.
Unfortunately, lumps are not the only symptom of cancer. Irritation and little pushed-in holes can also be warning signs. So take care! Of course, irritation can be caused by lots of other problems, too.
To avoid misunderstandings, the editor of a breast cancer website, who is also a physician, wrote a book about the topic. (Taking Care of Your Girls)
The author also highlights that girls today are highly informed but they don’t know much about their breasts or how they can take care of them. Even her own daughter had fears concerning cancer but her mother assured her that the risk of cancer in young girls is really low.
The book was written to dispel such myths and so was this article, which aims to dissolve your fears.
